


Escapist Fiction

by BobRussellFan



Category: The West Wing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-07 16:16:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21460903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobRussellFan/pseuds/BobRussellFan
Summary: In 2019, author Danny Concannon discusses one of the most popular shows on television.
Relationships: Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one gets a tooouch meta.

2019 

"And welcome back to our show!" 

Danny Concannon had made several promises to himself in his sixty-two years on Earth - he would tell the truth, he would love Claudia Jean Cregg and Tally Simon Concannon more than life, and he was never, never going to be one of those Boomer guys who sat around sneering at young people - especially not the ones in the business. So when he'd been invited on the podcast to promote Book Number Three, his only response had been "Okay" 

"This is Episode 125 of The Audacity of Hope, and we couldn't be happier to welcome one of our favorite authors on the show - Danny Concannon, who's here to talk with us about Obama and his new book - Resurgence of Inflation." 

The two hosts must have been in grade school during the Bartlett administration; Kesh was a young Qumari-American guy with a close-cut mustache and perpetual stubble; his cohost was Malina, an equally young Kundan with an accent that gave her a particularly striking radio voice. They'd welcomed him to their small studio here in Santa Monica, he'd gotten autographs for Tally (who was a big fan, having gone to sleep with the show every night for the last few months) and sat down to shoot the breeze for a while before they'd gotten down to the business of interviewing. 

"Kesh, Malina, thanks for having me on your show!" He smiled, because if you did it right it came through in your voice, and said, "I'm happy to be here. You know, this is actually my first podcast interview." 

"Well we're happy you could jump off the cliff with us." Malina laughed, and so did Danny, even though honestly he'd heard that joke about his second book, the one about his marriage to Claudia Jean, for the last half-decade or so. Oh well, the kids had promised interesting questions - and they didn't disappoint. 

"Now, Danny," said Kesh, "just to start off our conversation...you were telling us before we started recording why you started watching Obama?" 

"Oh, ah, well..." Danny thought back eleven years earlier. Santa Monica, an apartment that felt palatial, a book manuscript that was not coming together, a pregnant wife who was pushing herself to the limits and stressing him out. "The truth is, I started watching it to hate it." He laughed, and admitted, "I'm not really happy about saying that about the work of another writer, so let me backtrack and make a quick apology to Larry O'Donnell, who I know recognizes the importance of free speech." 

CJ had actually told him about the show - having heard it about herself from Donna Moss-Lyman, who'd heard about it from her husband, who was wasting time with ridiculous pop culture _again_, just like with that stupid website... "Some asinine, totally inaccurate show on NBC, that's just a parody of the Santos administration..." There'd been a lot of talks between Donna and CJ in those years, the former in the most difficult job of her life and the latter about to have a baby. 

"So I thought, 'Well, this sounds more exciting than writer's block,' so I turned it on! This was, oh, the episode where they ask McCain about whether or not Obama's an Arab, and he says 'No, he's a decent family man'! I just about fell out of my seat." 

"Why?" asked Kesh, who naturally had a personal investment in the question. 

"I couldn't believe they had Richard Dreyfuss doing basic cable drama for one thing; and for another, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This is supposed to be an American voter asking about a Presidential nominee, and it sounds like she's wandered in out of a Klan rally. I watched the whole thing, I told CJ to tell Donna she was right, this was all bullshit; and..." 

Malina laughed. "And then you watched the next one?" 

Danny had to admit that he had - and then the whole rest of the season. It had become something of a soundtrack to that eventful year - Tally's difficult birth, finally getting his manuscript on the page, and then finally that trip to the Bartlett library the next year - which in retrospect had been the last time everyone from the administration had been together. He didn't talk about all that, of course, but he did admit that CJ had _not_ been a fan of the show at first, pointing out its many ridiculous inaccuracies, "do they even know what year elections are held!?", the way _of course_ Obama had no female press secretaries...but on late nights when Tally was fussing, or when the two of them were home from work together and too tired to do anything else, she'd started watching too. 

"What's your favorite episode?" Danny knew most people liked the one about the election of 2012, where the plucky Democratic President pulls off a surprise re-election against the Mormon aristocrat - but that one had hit a little too close to home for him only two years after 2010, a heartbreaking disappointment for his wife and her friends even if it hadn't been any real surprise. "I like the one about the fish they name after Obama." CJ's favorite episode was any with Rachel Maddow - Elizabeth Moss was a friend of hers from way back, even if she was probably a bit younger than the character was supposed to be. 

"So, let's get to the big question," said Kesh after some more banter about the show. "With nine seasons for Obama, and now a third one for Trump, why do you think people enjoy this franchise so much?" 

"I think part of it's the actors," said Danny immediatley, "Dreyfuss, Giancarlo Esposito, Viola Davis, even Alec Baldwin - these are some of the best working actors in television today. But I honestly have to give credit to the writing staff and the showrunners. From O'Donnell down to Jordan Peele, I can't name any franchise that's gone on this long that's maintained such a consistent authorial voice. People are already writing books about the shows; and they're going to keep doing it long after they're off the air." 

"Some critics of the show," Malina added, "say the show is unwatchably dark - that it's like Game of Thrones for modern American politics. Now obviously that's not what _we_ think _ but it is a pretty common criticism." 

Danny considered that one, folding his hands over his knee for a moment until he realized he really _did_ look exactly like his father. "I think it's the darkness of the show people find appealing - especially Democrats." He thought for a moment, then said, "2008 and 2009 weren't easy years. The crash had wiped out a whole generation's worth of savings, the situation in Qumar was getting worse, and a lot of the hope people had pinned on Matt Santos was getting thrown back in our faces day after day. It's not a healthy impulse," he admitted, "but it can be satisfying to see people you don't like shown in the worst possible light." He considered that for a moment, then added, "Maybe Santos couldn't get his programs through Congress, but Obama couldn't get his programs through _either_ - and he actually had Republicans swearing to make sure he was only a one-termer!" William Sanderson was great at Mitch McConnell, but that was a whole other issue. "Santos is fighting with the Supreme Court; well hell, let's imagine a Supreme Court that's so bad, they strike down the Voting Rights Act for God's sake. People don't like the conflict with Qumar? Well let's throw in a deadly terrorist attack while we're at it, and a pointless war that nobody really cares about." 

"Is that all it is?" asked Malina curiously, "just...catharsis?" 

"No," said Danny immediately, pretty sure he was going to hear about this when he got home. "I don't think it's any accident that there's been such a rise in dystopian fiction in the last twenty years. Look at what our young people have seen - everyone agrees that Jed Bartlett, Matt Santos, and Glen Allen Walken were thoroughly decent men, whatever you think of their politics. And yet even so, the economy has barely recovered from 2007, the wage gap is growing, my generation has polluted the planet we're supposed to be leaving to yours, and nobody in Washington has the power to fix it. It's hard to resist systemic oppression and injustice - but it's easy to resist a gloating sex criminal in the White House." 

He was asked next about realism, and that was one he'd come prepared to answer. "You know, Kesh, take it from somebody who worked in Washington for too many of my years - the show is completely, completely unrealistic. But it doesn't have to be. Fiction doesn't need to be realistic to be true. IT's a scary movie even though there are no giant spider-clowns," 

"That we know of!" 

"That we know of, sure. And the Handmaid's Tale is terrifying even though it's far beyond anything even Mike Pence could dream up." They'd already talked about how great Steve Martin was in the role, so he moved on. "Dystopian fiction is basically horror fiction - and horror doesn't need to be realistic to speak to us if it speaks to our fears. And anybody who doesn't fear an America overrun by racism and corruption, with the worst President in its history trying to drag down democracy down with him, well, I don't want to know that person." 

"Excellent stuff," said Kesh cheerfully. "Now let's change topics a bit, speaking of the truth. Can you tell us more about Resurgence of Inflation?" 

"Let me say first," said Danny with a laugh, "that that book is dedicated to a very dear friend, who is going to be the best President the University of Wisconsin-Madison has ever had, even if he did steal my look!" 

"He's pointing to his beard, which is a very nice beard," said Kesh. "Can you tell us more about the title?..."


	2. Section 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More from Danny's interview

"And we're back!" Danny wasn't at all sure why an underwear company was sponsoring this podcast - but what the hell, the kids knew their business. "Okay, we're here with best-selling author Danny Concannon, who's been talking with us about the Obamaverse and about his latest book: Resurgence of Inflation." Malina was all smiles as she went on; a smile he could hear with his eyes closed. She really _did_ have a great charisma that came through clearly by voice alone. 

If this was new media, it was in good hands, he mused as Kesh said, "As you know, at the end of our last episode, we asked you to call in and leave any questions you had for, er, Danny." He'd had to tell the younger man to call him 'Danny' rather than Mr. Concannon. "Our first question is from Madeline from Louisiana..." Madeline's question was about the new book, a fairly serious question about the economic policy of the Newman administration and how the Bartlett administration was its logical successor - and Danny took his time answering. 

The next question was a surprise. "Hi, this is Barb from North Carolina." There was something familiar about that voice, Danny thought, but he didn't press the issue as she went on. "I wanted to ask why...Mr. Concannon is such a big fan of the show that _ruined_ the Democratic Party." 

Danny covered his mike and raised an eyebrow at the two podcast hosts - _this made it _past_ your filters?_ he seemed to ask. They shrugged, and with a faint smile Danny uncovered his mike. Okay, these kids were razzing the old man - looking to see if he'd ask for a different call. _You kids_ he thought affectionately _I _was_ the obnoxious question. I can handle this._

"That's an interesting question, er, Barb," said Danny, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "You can find people who think that a decade of watching Obama gave Democratic primary voters, and Democratic operatives, unrealistic expectations - the idea is that if you really think Republicans are a bunch of sex criminals and racists, you'll never try and negotiate with them, and that's why today's Democratic Party is so far to the left of where it was under Bartlett." Danny hmmed, then went on. "But I think that's wrong for a couple of reasons. One is, it's just a television show." His hosts didn't seem to like that comment very much - but hey, the old man could razz too! 

"Political parties form and change because of deep cultural causes, not because of some...franchise show on NBC. Life isn't like on Studio 60 or The Newsroom, society isn't reshaped by what some talking head says on television. We make television - television doesn't make us." 

Extemporizing a little, he went on. _I really _should_ start my own!_ 

"As for the Democratic Party moving to the left after Bartlett and Santos, that was inevitable," he said with a small shrug. "Once the Vinick wing of the Republicans was out of power, the Republicans were going to move back to the Lassiter wing - and the Democrats were going to move to the left in response, especially once Santos was out of office." 

"Do you think people compared Santos to Obama and found him wanting?" asked Malina. 

"Maybe they did," conceded Danny, glad the kids were willing to imagine the worldview of someone they disagreed with, "but they probably compared him to that guy Harrison Ford played in Air Force One too!" He couldn't quite laugh - not when he remembered Election Night, 2010. "Matt Santos lost because there was a war in Qumar and the worst recession since World War II, not because Barack Obama was on NBC. That's all there is to it." Danny had never really discussed it with his family, but the subprime mortgage bubble had started under Bartlett - not that Santos could have said _that_ in the dark days of 2008 and 2009, not with an administration full of Bartlett holdovers. 

"I think Matt Santos is due for a renaissance," he said truthfully, "I know O'Leary had to run away from his legacy last year, but it was really the Santos coalition that elected her in the first place..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: "Our first question is from Madeline from Louisiana..."  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandeville,_Louisiana
> 
> Share your thoughts, folks! As always, a work in progress.


End file.
